Pink Heart
by Girlcalledlola01
Summary: Spinel, a 13 year old mineral freak, finds herself stuck with a rock on her shoulder and a heavy burden resting upon her. She has to protect the children of the world. When she meets Pitch, he becomes her worst nightmare. She's not alone though. Spinel struggles to figure out her personal life while helping her friends through theirs. Rated T for caution. (First ever fanfiction)
1. Chapter 1 - It's a Bling Thing

**Hi guys this is my first ever chapter that I've written. I don't own Rise of the Guardians, but I do own my OCs and the plot of the story. Please don't steal my ideas. Please review, and I hope you enjoy this story.  
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><p>"Sapphire, Agate, Spinel, Heliodor…" I mumble, sorting through my huge pile of gems that sit in my lap. With each bump the car goes over, I yelp, grabbing all of the crystals before they fall to the carpeted floor of the car, where nothing can escape the shadowed land of the unknown, situated right underneath my seat. Once something is lost under there, it's lost forever. I should know. About a quarter of my crystals fell to the floor once and I have never seen them since. Another bump, another squeal.<p>

"Lauren! Hold onto your rocks properly or put them away!" My mum yells over the ear splitting music that seems to travel through my bones. I know I should really try not to talk back, but I can't help it.

"Mum they're gems, not rocks. Would you please try to act like you care?" I shout back. Her head whips around for a split second to glare at me before focusing her attention on the road.

Oops. I'm in big trouble now. She hates it when I talk back or correct her, with anything. Even if she know that she got something wrong, I still get screamed at for being rude. Is helping someone to say things correctly really that rude? I think it's a discreet way of being nice. I can practically see smoke billowing from her ears. But today she chooses to stay quiet. This is scary. She never misses an opportunity to yell at me. With a bone chilling squeal of the brakes, the car lurches forward and my cousin Riley, (who had been quiet the whole time) let out an almighty yell, just loud enough to cover up the sound of my gem pile flying up into the air and smashing into the window.

"What was that for Riley?" Mum shrieked. "You could've burst my eardrums." I wish he did, I think to myself. I lean over the back of the row in front of me and give him a small kiss on the head.

"Thanks Riley, and please don't leave me alone with mum at dinner. I would like to stay alive for at least a few more days. I think she wants me dead." I whisper, thankful that my mum loves the radio turned up to the maximum volume. Riley turns around to look at me, giving a small wink.

"Will do darling. Now get out before the evil witch tries to rip you eyes off your face. Nessa's already waiting outside." With that he pulls me over the top of seat and pushes me gently out the door. For a 14 year old, Riley does a pretty good job at being a big brother. In my life, that's a big deal. My real brother Dylan, just after he turned 18, decided he would leave the house, do some drugs and then ruin our family by committing suicide. Now my cousins live with us, and since my parents got divorced, my mum has been a beast. With a quick hug (for Riley only) I say goodbye to both people left in the car. I feel so sorry for Riley as they speed away. I can barely make out what my mum is yelling at him when she turns up the radio again. 'Don't you ever do that again mister, or I'll have you sent back to your ungrateful parents' or something like that. I give a small wave to the disappearing spot of red that marks my car in the distance.

Spinning on my heel, I'm greeted by an arm over my eyes and a hand over my mouth. That's the good thing about teeth. I open my mouth to bite Nessa's arm gently but she quickly pulls away, revealing the new car sitting in her driveway."Oh wow Ness, I love it!"

"Don't you just!" She squeals, running over to the shiny white Honda. "Look at it!" I had never seen a new car before, not up close anyway. Where I live, no one would ever dare to buy anything new, everything is second-hand. I walk up to the car and slide a hand over the shiny door, admiring my reflection in the window. My hair is a mess, I realise. I'll have to sit down and have Nessa braid it for me. "Come inside, Lola!" She grabs my arm and pulls me through the doorway that had been painted white by her dad last Sunday, just after we had 'accidentally' thrown some paintballs at the walls in the hallway. He made us clean every inch of the wall we could reach, which, in Nessa's case, wasn't much at all. "Come on, run! Into my room now!" She suddenly yells and I run after her, overtaking the short little girl on the fourth step. "Hey, that's not fair! You're faster than me" She huffs, staggering up the last few steps. When she finally crawls her way up and into her room, she pouts at me, her arms folded over her chest.

"Where are we going?" I ask, ignoring her glare. It was typical Ness to get angry at me for beating her. She is super competitive. Ever since kindergarten she had always compared herself to others, especially me. It was so much pressure being a role model. At least I don't have any younger siblings. Nessa does. Three of them, to be exact, and one older brother. Kenneth, the eldest, is super tall and really lazy, and the younger three are triplets. They all look different (thank god!), and they all love to torture me. I think it's their birthday coming up soon. They're almost 4, which means I need to give them $4 to share between themselves. I know that Marienne will have the most. She always does. Tom and Felicity share everything, and Marienne gets everything. That's the life of Nessa. Being the middle child annoys her. Especially since she's really young for a year 7 student. I'm 13 and a quarter, whereas she's nearly 12 and a half. Suddenly Nessa snatches the bag of gems out of my hand and clicks her tongue in disapproval.

"If you're going to carry something like this around, do it in style." She scolds, swinging the bag around her finger. A grin forms at the edges of her mouth. I almost laugh at how easy it is to make her smile again. She whips a stunning bag out from behind her back and I gasp in awe. It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen, with the perfect amount of pockets to hold every jewel in my tattered old snap lock bag. "Now don't you dare bring that to the beach. It isn't waterproof, and around here money doesn't grow on trees!" We're going to the beach? I hope Nessa's okay with that. She begins to descend back down the stairs, and I see something out of the corner of my eye. It looks like a person. I look again and it disappears.


	2. Chapter 2 - Talking to Myself

**Hi, it's me again. I just want to thank you for reading my story. I'll update soon. **

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><p>"Hey Lola, want some wine? I'll get some from the cellar."<p>

"How 'bout some ice cold cider to go with that snowflake?" A male voice chirped happily out of nowhere.

Who just spoke? "Um, ok sure, thanks Ness." I wonder if she heard that voice. Maybe it was a ghost. I don't see anyone around here, at least not a boy. I have to find that ghost before it haunts me. "I'll just stay up here, protect your stuff from Marrienne."

"Hello there. You have no idea that I exist, do you? Maybe you're too old too believe. I'm wasting my time here." Again the boy's voice rings in my head. I notice something at the window, a flash of blue and white, but it quickly disappears. Just in case, I fling open the cracked windows and scan the area around Nessa's room. I look left to right, on the path, up and down, but I don't see anything. I probably just imagined it. I turn around disappointedly, to put me face to face with a boy. He looks about 16, and has unusually white hair and stunning, zircon blue eyes. His skin is so pale, he looks a bit like marble. "Easy there miss, I didn't mean to scare you." He says suddenly as I step backwards, tripping over one of Nessa's books that she always lines up across the floor. A freezing cold hand grasps mine and sends a small shiver down my spine. Why is his skin like ice? Had he climbed in through the window? Would he leave before Ness came back with our 'wine'? What would she do if she saw him?

"Lollie? Do you want red or white, or a little of both?" Too late.

I take another glance at the boy with snow-like skin, and he quickly helps me up onto my feet. "Don't worry about your friend. She won't see me. Thanks for believing in me." The boy does a little bow. "I didn't quite catch your name," He looks at me with a questioning look, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, um sorry, um, Lauren. M-my name's Lauren" I stutter. He really is quite beautiful. I'm not in love, I'm just stating a fact. I only mean the colours of his eyes and skin are breathtaking. I wonder who's brother he is. I remember m brother, before he went crazy. This boy looks so much better. His eyes are so pretty, They sparkle with the fire of a diamond and the colour of blue zircon.

I hear a thump and realise someone is coming up the stairs. "Here you go." I jump and whirl around as Nessa bursts through the door, two bottles in her arms. I look back at the boy, but he's gone. How, I don't know. Maybe through the window. Maybe...

"Hey, who were you talking to?" Ness breaks my trance and looks straight into my multi-coloured eyes. I don't think she'll believe me if I tell her.

"No one." I walk over and close the window, which exhibits a thick coating of ice that looks like dawsonite. I quickly cover it with my palms, feeling the cool glass on my fingertips. If she saw it, I'm sure Nessa would have nightmares. We once saw a movie about a man who freezes little girls and steals their heat. I try to distract her. "Is that mine?" I ask, pointing to the bottle of clear, bubbly liquid.

"Oh yeah, you never said what you wanted. Also, we'll have to drink fast, 'cos as soon as mum gets home we're going to the beach!" I almost forgot why I was here. I'm not here for the sake of escaping my mother, I'm here to get into the freezing cold water and help Nessa to get over her fear, the ocean. Her uncle was a famous swimmer, until an accident that caused his quick demise. A rescue gone wrong, essentially. He was swimming out to save someone else when he saw a dark shadow in the water. Another shiver earns me a strange look from Ness, as I conjure up the image in my mind. "Why are you acting so weird all of a sudden?" I smile warmly at her and take a bottle out of her small hands to investigate the label.

"I'm not" I reply, turning the bottle over. "And this is over it's due date. Actually, who cares?" I say, using my teeth to pop the lid off the bottle. "It's only a day over, and its apple. My favourite." Our 'wine' is actually just flavoured fizzy drinks, grape and apple soda. We only call it wine because we drink it out of wine glasses. And it sort of resembles the alcohol liquid that Nessa's mum drinks with her dinner. I wish that my mum still drank wine at the dinner table with my cousins and I. Now, she switches to going out every night and getting drunk, wasting money on taxis and usually not even coming home that same night. If she does ever get home from the pub early, she bursts into my room, expecting to catch me still awake and reading, but I've learnt from past experience to hide my book when I hear a car pulling into a driveway. My life used to be perfect. Now, the best thing about it is getting away from my mother.

If I can find the boy that I met before, maybe he could be my fill in brother. I don't even know what it's like to have a brother look out for me. Even before Dylan went crazy, he still didn't care about me. I was just a little nuisance, getting in the way and scaring off his friends with my obsession with crystals. He hated me and he hated my happy personality. He wasn't like a brother, but I had never known anything else.

"Can you get the cups Lollie? My legs hurt and I can't reach anyway." Nessa pleads, before grabbing my wrist and whispering to me, "Look out for Kenneth. He's got his girlfriend over, and it is utterly disgusting."

"I shall avoid them at all costs, I promise." I say, crossing my heart with my fingers.

"Don't look for them like I know you want to. I know that last time you were the one who hid a whoopee cushion under the sofa seat."

I raise my arms in protest. "I would never do such a thing!"

"You did though, remember? Anyway, don't do anything stupid, and try to get the cups without breaking them."

"Bye, It's the longest walk of my life in 3, 2, 1, here I go" I drop myself down onto my knees on the first stair, and slide the whole way down, earning myself a huge carpet burn.

"Ow, that looks like it hurt" the boy's voice appears again, mocking me as I smack my knees into the solid ground of the first floor. I stand up quickly and look around, spotting Kenneth. "Your friend told you not to." White boy sang into my ear.

"You eavesdropper!" I loudly whisper back to him. "Were you spying on me?" I walk into the kitchen and stand on my tippy toes, reaching for the two wine glasses that had 'Reserved for special guests' written on them. My fingers skim the edge of the closest cup, pushing it back further into the cupboard. "Which genius put our glasses this far back?" I mutter under my breath.

The white boy stares into the back of my head, then sighs in frustration, as another attempt of mine fails to reward me. "Need help, snowflake?" He says, grabbing me by the waist and hoisting me up. Not wasting my opportunity to feel tall, I grab our glasses and hold onto the tightly. "You know there was a chair you could've stood on?" A finger points towards a small stool that would've made my life a lot easier. "Careful with those cups!" He yells, diving to catch Nessa's glass before it hits the ground. I didn't even realise I had dropped it. He places the cup back into my hand and squeezed my fingers around the handle. "Hold on tightly, ok? I have to go, I'll see you later." He starts to walk off, then stops and turns around when I yell.

"What's your name?" He looks at me as if thinking, then answers.

"Jack Frost."


	3. Chapter 3 - Nessa's Frost

**Hi, it's me again. I would just like to say thanks for all of your support. Seeing how many people have read my story gives me extra confidence in sharing. Please enjoy the story and write what you think about it. I'll update soon. **

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><p>Jack Frost? Isn't that the person that makes it cold? Who did I just meet? Why is he here?<p>

"Lauren! Hurry up here!" Nessa's voice makes my ears ring. I begin to make my ascent into Nessa's room when I hear Kenneth's deep, raspy voice call my name.

"Come in here right now. Who were you talking to? I heard you shouting to someone, and it wasn't my sister." I walk slowly into the living room, which has all the lights turned off. I squint my eyes, trying to see where Kenneth's girlfriend was. It seemed like she was hiding from me. I guess I scared her off by talking to myself, not that I actually was.

"I need to go upstairs, please, can I just go?" I beg. I would rather die than be lectured by Kenneth. "I was just talking on the phone to a friend, that's it. I'm just going to go now so, yeah. Bye-" Kenneth reaches out and grabs my arm.

"Don't you let anything happen to my sister in the water, okay? Please look after her." I nod slowly, then gently pry his hand off my arm. I don't think anyone knows that I'm absolutely terrified of sharks. Everyone thinks I'm fearless, which makes it worse. I don't want to admit to being afraid. If I did, I'd be punished for admitting to weakness. Mum used to always say that admitting fear is admitting defeat. I will not be defeated by a big fish. I will not allow it.

I run to the stairs. "Coming Ness." I shout ahead of myself, being careful not to trip on a step and break the glasses I have in my hands. I crawled up the stairs and placed the two wine glasses on the soft, cyan carpet of Nessa's room. Her favourite colour at the moment was cyan. There were all different shades of blue decorating her curtains like little blue diamonds, courtesy of me. I'm not the best artist, of course, but Nessa is amazing. She can make literally anything. I have no doubt that Nessa made the bag for my gems. I just sketched up the plan for her curtains. She was the one who actually made them, with my guidance on the sewing machine. I may not be good at drawing, but I can sew reasonably well. I got a machine for my 8th birthday and ever since I've practised and practised every spare moment I get.

"Yay, you got them. Thanks dude." Nessa snatches the glassware from my hands and pours my drink until it is nearly bubbling out of my cup. She does the same for hers, and we tap our glasses together before taking a small sip. Then Nessa clears her throat and, using a plastic knife she had just grabbed off the floor, bangs the edge of her cup and makes a small toast. "I would like to thank everyone for coming today to witness the friendship of Lauren Hook and Nessa Phang because without them, we would not be gathered here today." I hide a little giggle and supress the urge to laugh. Nessa is great at giving speeches in front of all her stuffed animals, but when it comes to making speeches in front of a crowd, she shrinks into a little platinum nugget. Nessa turns to her mirror that runs from one end of her room to the other. It rests leaning against the wall and looks really unstable. She pulls me to her side and continues her speech. "As you all know, this wine is a significant part of our life. It symbolises how young we still are, and how good at pretending we are." I hear a sound at the window and jump a little. "Today, Lauren has been acting really weirdly, and now she's going to tell us why." Nessa!

"What? I haven't been acting weirdly! I'm just, ugh, you wouldn't even believe me if I told you, so I'm just going to say that I'm excited for the beach, okay?"

"I don't believe you." Nessa sang in my ear. We must look really strange. I take a look in the mirror and remember that my hair is a mess. I have long blonde hair and my eyes are golden brown in the middle, then a malachite green ring around that, then outlined in topaz blue. My skin is covered in a coat of freckles that cover up the many scars bumps and bruises that I've accumulated over the years of being me. My most recent injury is a huge bruise on my knee that has little amethyst spots and brown lines, and it's so big it looks like I have an extra knee. I elbowed myself jumping on my friend Emily's trampoline, and of course Ness was there to witness it as well. It didn't seem like it should've been that bad, but it was. My skin is really pale compared to Nessa's tan. She has black-brown eyes and olive skin buried under years worth of tan. She is slightly shorter than me, reaching up to my nose, if she isn't slouching. Posture gives you height, my mum used to say when I was sitting badly on the couch. She never says that anymore though. She's too busy telling me that I'm a useless piece of dirt that shouldn't exist. I try to ignore her, but going to Nessa's house is a much better way to avoid my mum.

"Tell me!" Nessa grabs a brush and begins to tug the bristles through the birds nest on my head. "Speech is over folks." I hear someone sigh at her announcement. Was it Jack? Did he come back to explain to me why he's here? It's the middle of summer in Burgess. Why would a cold loving, magical being come here in summer?

"I just met Jack Frost, that's all"

"That's all? Lollie, you're going crazy! Jack Frost doesn't exist." Nessa waves her arms around her head, trying to make a point, but I've spotted him at the window.

"Jack come in here now! I need you to tell her I'm not crazy." I can still see him staring in, but he wasn't expecting me to fling open the window and grab his hand. "See?"

"What the hell are you talking about Lauren?" She can't see him? What?

"Lauren, she doesn't believe in me, so that means she can't see me." Jack tells me carefully.

"Nessa, if you don't believe in him, you can't see him. Jack, make her believe." I want Nessa to see what I see, how I see everything. I hear the crunching of gravel and turn back to the window to see Nessa's mum's car. We're going to have to continue this later.

"Lauren, i-is that him?" Nessa tugs on the sleeve of my purple shirt, pointing to Jack.

"Hi Nessa, I'm Jack Frost." He grins at her, showing off his chalk white teeth. Ness buckles at the knees.

"Lola, why didn't you tell me he was so hot?" What? Nessa is a lunatic. She's fallen in love with Jack Frost. I watch as she crawls her way over to him, then stands up and hugs him, gasping at how cold his skin is. "You're my favourite person now." She says to him.

"Jack, do you want to come to the beach with us?" I offer, striding over to pry my friend off the poor boy.

"You have to come! You have to! Please?" Nessa grips his hand and shakes it hard, pulling him towards the stairs.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a little swim, would it?"


	4. Chapter 4 - Obsidian Shark

**Hello to all of my readers, I would like to thank you all, but special thanks to my one follower, DragonSlayer2187. I'm not sure if I'll be updating soon, I have to go back to school. For a girl as old as me, getting attention on my story is great, but getting a follower is even better. Thank you guys.**

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><p>"Nessa, Lauren, are you ready to go?" Nessa's mum calls from the bottom of the stairs. I look around me and realise I've forgotten to bring anything with me. Oh no. I don't even have swimmers.<p>

"If you're looking for your swimmers Lola, you left them here last time you came over, remember?" Nessa sighs, shaking her head. She chucks me a bag with a towel and my swimmers, then shoos Jack out while we get changed. Nessa changes in her room and I go into her bathroom. When we're ready to go, I take one last look around and spot my bag of gems. Maybe I'll just bring a few, just in case I need them. I _must_ bring my spinel. It's my favourite gem, I think. Spinel looks like a ruby, except it can also sometimes look like a really rich pink sapphire. I also grab a few more, then tip the contents into the new bag that Ness made for me. It's so pretty.

"Nope. You are not bringing that with us."

"Nessa, I need my jewels." I plead.

"Come on just go. You can get your jewels later, after the beach." she says, pushing me out of the room.

I sigh. I'm not winning this fight. "You coming Jack?" He looks up at the sound of my voice and nods, putting away whatever shiny thing he'd been playing with. "You can fly, right? I saw you before." I whisper, careful not to let Nessa hear me.

"Yeah, I can." He whispers back. "And I have this staff that I use to make snow days as fun as possible." This still feels like a dream.

"That's so cool!"

"Hurry up, mum's calling us now!" Jack motions for me to go in front, so I step onto the first step, place my towel down and ride the whole way down the stairs. I can hear Jack laughing as I step onto the wood at the bottom, rubbing my knees. I have to find a way to do that without it hurting. As soon as he gets down, we join Nessa to stand at the car. "Jack, how are you going to get there? You could come in the car I guess, but don't make it cold." She hisses. Luckily her mum's too busy trying to put makeup on to notice that we're having a discussion with nothing. Are we the only people who can see him?

"Don't worry about me, I can-" I cut him off, with a look that said _don't you tell her anything about it._

"He can run really fast." I say quickly.

"Ooh, so cool." She says in awe. I gently shove her through the door of the car and we wave slightly to Jack before I close the door.

"Ready to go chicks?" Nessa's mum Jillian asks, running her manicured fingernails through her dyed red bob of hair. Before she dyed it, her hair was the same chocolate brown as Nessa's.

"Lets go!" Nessa sings overenthusiastically. I agree with Ness, and the brand new car whirrs to life. "Lola, you're going to help me swim, right?" I nod slowly. Should I tell her about how I have a really bad feeling about today? I won't. I'm a certified lifesaver, which means that I can help her if she needs it. I hear a tap at my window, and I look over to see Jack, and a lot of ice crusting over the window. 'Follow us' I mouth. He gives a thumbs up and waves to Ness. She doesn't see, so I give her blue butterfly towel a slight tug, getting her attention immediately. I point to the window, and to Jack who's grinning like a maniac. Her whole face immediately lights up.

"Girlies, we're here!" Jillian cries, pressing a button that makes both doors slide open automatically. I feel my heart stop beating for a second as Jack grabs my shoulders ad pushes me slightly.

"Jack! You came!" Ness yells, running over to hug the frosty spirit.

"Nessa, who's Jack? Is he a friend of yours?" Jillian asks her daughter. "You know what? Just go have fun, I'll be back to pick you up at 3? That's okay, right? Bye ladies." With a quick hug goodbye, we run down the steps that separate us from the beach, and the crystal clear waves.

"Race you guys to the water!" I shout, taking off at a run. There's a small rip in the water. We'll just have to watch out for it. I feel the tiny waves splashing around my ankles and dive straight into the deeper water. I resurface to see Ness and Jack running head to head, until they reach the water. Jack puts his staff onto the squeaky soft sand and Nessa chucks our bags behind her onto a small sand dune. Nessa squeals as I splash her with the water.

"You want to play that way? Fine!" She yells picking up a handful of sand and throwing it at me. I dodge the sloppy throw and taunt her. She grabs Jack's arm and pulls him towards the water. "Come on Jack! come in the water!" He looks at the girl holding his arm tightly, then at me in the water.

"Okay."

"Yes! Jack, you're on my team, and Lauren's by herself. She's a lifesaver, so it's fair. Lola you're in."

"Hey, that's unfair" I laugh, swimming after Nessa and Jack. I catch Ness first, and she gives me a little push. Jack chuckles at how childish we are.

"I'm going to have to go soon, I've got to help Sandy come up with a punishment for Cory. Cory's the Halloween Spirit, and he's always annoying us and ruining North's workplace and stuff like that. Actually, Cory is about your age"

"Who's Sandy, who's North. I thought you were the only spirit." Nessa asks.

"Oh sorry, North is also your Santa Claus and Sandy is the sandman. There's Tooth, as well, who as you can guess is the tooth fairy. Then you have Pitch who is-"

A scream escapes my lips as something brushes against my leg. Something big, and it's not a fish. I check where we are. I can't see the flags clearly. Nessa can't swim properly! Again, the huge thing bumps my leg and I panic. I can't see Nessa anywhere. A shadow flickers beneath me.

"Nessa? Nessa! Where are you?" My voice changes pitch and my breathing quickens. "Nessa! Ness answer me, please Nessa. I'm terrified of sharks." I give a strangled cry and begin to sob. "Jack! Jack! Please don't leave me here! Where are you going?" I scream through my tears.

"I'm going to look for Nessa, ok? You're going to be ok. It's going to be ok. Just start to swim to shore." I stick up my hand and wave it in the way we're supposed to when we need assistance. Why haven't the lifeguards seen the shark? Is it a shark? Maybe I'm overreacting.

"Jack! Nessa! Help me." I splash around wildly. There is a shadow moving around an area right near me. Nessa! Oh god please no, please don't be under the water Ness. Without thinking, I dive under the surface, blinking twice to clear my eyes and get used to the water. I spot Nessa's sparkly pink swimsuit. It can't be that deep if I can see her, but the water is really clear today. I resurface for a second, take a huge breath and swim to the ocean floor. I grab her by the waist and swim to the surface again. My breaths come out as short gasps, and all I can think about is the shadow. It's moving steadily towards me. "Nessa! Ness, you have to wake up! You have to help me! Nessa please don't leave me here alone!" An obsidian black fin pops up out of the crystal water and I scream as loud as I possibly can. Nessa looks up and sees the shark. She begins to cry, in loud, terrified sobs.

"Lauren, please wake me up soon, please wake me up, I don't want to have another nightmare." I clutch my friend to my chest and start to swim away. I never learnt what to do if you find yourself in the water with a shark chasing you. I'll have to make it up as I go.

"Jack help!" I falter and scream in pain as something sharp ruptures my leg. My vision goes blurry through my tears but I keep swimming with my good leg. I can feel blood rushing out through a huge wound, but I'm afraid to look back for fear of what I might see. My brain feels tired and the sounds around me sound fuzzy. I'm not going to make it back. I might as well inspect my wound. I've lost too much blood. I wave frantically, but I realise that I'm next to some rocks. Sharks are never around rocks, are they? I stop swimming. "Nessa, swim back to shore. I'm slowing you down. You need to be safe, you need to be brave. Go. Tell them that there was an obsidian shark. Go!" I release her and place her feet on the soft sand. The water is shallow enough to walk the whole way in. I can't walk. I'm stuck here, until I disappear.

"I'm not leaving!"

"Walk in right now Nessa. I want you safe, and if I find out that you've done anything other than what I told you,"

"You wont be around to find out. You're _dying_! And it's my fault."

"Go right now. If you want me to be happy, then you'll go get help. You nearly drowned! I'm injured Ness, do what I tell you!" Without looking back Nessa begins to propel herself through the water. She stops, sniffs, then continues with more determination than before. I look down to see blood staining the water. I place my good foot on the sand and try to keep moving towards the shore. With each advance I make, I get pulled out double by a rip that sweeps from the side of the rocks, out to the ocean. I stand still and watch Nessa from afar, seeing her crawl out of the water, and I watch the lifesaver in the red and yellow tent rush over to Nessa. I begin to count all of the gems I would never see again. My 7 rubies, my little diamond I found at a park, my dozens of garnets, my beautiful pair of spinel hearts. My head bobs in and out of the water, and I feel my pulse slowing. I don't want to choke on my own blood, so with one last ounce of strength, I push myself sideways, away from the pooling blood.

"Jack, where are you?" I mouth as I fall through the water. My swimmers twinkle with the light of the afternoon sun. a pocket that I had sewn onto the inside brushed against my back, and I felt something hard under my head. A rock, and I can feel the veins of rock crystal and iron deep inside it. In our last moments, maybe we get amazing magical powers. Maybe that's why I can hear someone, no something singing a lullaby. My eyes start to close, but I keep them open long enough to see another rock open its eyes and show me its teeth. It smiles and nestles itself next to my cheek. I finally lose consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Moon Told Me So

**Sorry guys for the wait. I've been really busy and I was sorta struggling to find a way to write my story. Please forgive me. I came up with lots of ideas for future chapters, so I hope that I can write the rest of the story faster. Please take a moment to review and tell me what you liked about the story. Thanks for your support. Again, I am really truly sorry.**

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><p>The first thing I see when I wake is the moon. I must've been asleep for a while. My vision seems a little blurred. It's sorta hard to see with all of the bubbles.<p>

"Bubbles?" Where am I? I look around and hear waves. I'm at the bottom of the ocean. And breathing steadily. I sit up as if I'm sitting up in bed. I feel strange, I feel like I'm floating through the water. I hear a splash and then suddenly I'm floating in the salty night air. I use this opportunity to investigate the sky.

One side, the side behind me, is covered in fairy floss clumps of pinkish grey clouds. To my left, yellow-grey sky merges into green-grey into blue-grey. In front of me is orange into pink into purple-grey to a greyer purple, then to a beautiful topaz blue. It's dark, but the sky is lit up like it's midday. The moon isn't full, but it glows with more light than a whole weeks worth of sunlight. The light seems to hug me, and it lifts me even higher.

"Spinel." One word echoes in my head. What does he mean by spinel? Who _is _he? "Spinel, you are spinel."

"Wow, great name." I mutter. "Who's doing this to me?" I stare intently at the moon. It looks like there's a person, but it's impossible. If there was someone on the moon, they would be still be so small that I couldn't see them. A gust of wind carries me over to the beach and sets me down. I lay there for a while, taking in everything that had happened. I look down at my leg to see nothing but a scar left. I remember back until the final moments before I passed out. There was a rock with a moving face. It definitely wasn't a fish, it couldn't be. I stand up and wobble, then sit back down, count to three, then stand again. I make my way over to the edge of the water. A strong wind picks me up off the sand and carries me over to where I woke up. I fall back into the water, but it still feels like I'm in the air. I spot the area of sand I was lying on, and I see the rock and my gems that fell out of my pocket sitting side by side. I pick up the jewels and they stick onto my skin. The rock starts to move and I grab it carefully, hoping that it won't stick to me the way the others did.

"Don't worry Spinel, I'm not going to stick unless you tell me to. I'll just follow you." I shriek and leap backwards, feeling the water move with me. I spot a dark shadow out of the corner of my eye and memories come whizzing back to me at once. Nessa disappearing, the obsidian shark, Jack Frost.

"Excuse me rock thing, um can you tell me what the hell is going on?" The rock stares at me.

"My name is up to you Spinel. You are a spirit, but you are strange. You have magic of minerals in you, but you also have water powers. Your Jack Frost has cold magic. I hope that helped you." The rock floats over to me and rests on my shoulder. "The jewels are stuck because they love you too much to let go. You take care of them, when so many others changed the shape of the crystal without permission. They love you for your pink heart."

I stare at the talking stone and it stares back. "Pink heart?"

"Your heart is now a crystal. A special crystal. A very special one indeed." He explains. "Now we must leave, there are obsidian beasts with many crystal teeth watching this meeting"

"You sound like me!"

"Of course I do. I was brought to life to be your friend and protector. I was created from your thoughts and dreams." He chats to me about everything that has changed since last time I was human while we swim/walk to the shore.

"Can your name be anything?" I ask the strange rock that now had short legs and even shorter arms.

"Anything you wish Spinel." I wish he would call me by my name instead of a gem.

"Why do you call me Spinel?"

"Your name is Spinel, that is why" He stops walking and sits on the sand, pointing to the moon. "He told me so." I look up and see the moon, and I see the person I saw before, except this time he's waving at us. My rock waves back.

"I'll come up with your name later, then I can have more time to think."

"Your friend Vanessa went home soon after she got help. Her mother told your mother, who told your cousin." The rock pauses for a breath before continuing. Riley knows that I'm supposed to be dead? He'd better not ruin his life by blaming my mum."They sent out search parties to try and find you. They were unsuccessful, of course. They could not see you anywhere." Why couldn't they see me?

"Lauren! Up here!" I look up to see Jack floating above me. His hair is slightly messy and his eyes look red and puffy. "Where were you?"

I sigh and pick up the talking rock, feeling a strange feeling course through my arms. "Jack I can't."

"Can't what?" He slowly descends and stands in front of me.

"I don't know how long I was gone, but when I woke up, I was breathing underwater."

He stares for a long time, the silence making my ears ring. "I think you'll have to come with me."

"But Jack wait. The moon was talking and then I met a rock, and the rock was talking to me." I lift it up for Jack to investigate.

"It looks like a very cool rock, okay? Now we have to get you away from here." I snatch my arm away.

"Why? Why are you rushing? I might be dead for all I know!" Jack grips my arm again and mutters something about Cory being a nuisance and how Tooth wants him to fix the mess.

"I just have to take you to North."

"Why were you so nice before? You're just being mean now!" Jack just smiles at me, then grabs my other arm. I feel my feet leave the sand and hope that my rock isn't being left behind. I still have to name it. "Jack, why are we flying? If you drop me,"

"I wont drop you Lauren."

"Spinel." I correct him. "The moon said so."


	6. Chapter 6 - Cory the Redhead

**Hello readers. I'm not sure if it's good or not, but I have over 150 views! That makes me so happy. Although, no favourites or reviews. :'( Oh well. I'm sorry if I don't update regularly. School's back up and I have tons of maths homework to deal with. Special thanks to my 4 followers: Dragonslayer2187, Shira2676, laurenclaire202 and KormaKeTe. (Although KormaKeTe is a friend. I helped with the name choice)**

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><p>"Spinel, what's a Spinel?" Jack asks as we zoom through the thinnest layer of clouds that coated the midnight air.<p>

"Spinel is an aluminium, magnesium and oxygen mineral. It's also my name. My _new_ name." I quickly correct myself. I died, and now I'm alive. That's the story I will believe unless someone tells me otherwise. I have to believe some sort of story, otherwise there's no me. Not a problem, I believe everything. I scare myself by thinking of ghost stories that I hear told in the dark, and imagining something walking into my room with a machete in hand every time I hear a noise in the night. I've had many sleep deprived nights because of those stories. I'm such a child. I still sleep with the light on. I also believe in everything, but I didn't know that there was a Halloween spirit. That's something new.

"So, what's magnesium?"

"Just a mineral that can be found in a whole lot of crystals and rocks." I look up at Jack and he grins at me, speeding up. I feel a strong gust of wind blow against my cheeks and the air temperature suddenly drops. I begin to shiver and Jack moves even faster, laughing as the wind plays with his hair, styling it into a windswept style. He suddenly stops and drops to the ground, the freshly fallen snow cushioning the impact of our fall.

"Welcome to North's workshop Spinel. I've called ahead, so just go on in. I've got to do some stuff, so I'll see you later. Bye"

"Bye Jack!" I yell after the disappearing white blob. I feel something hard, but surprisingly warm on my shoulder. "I'm going to name you as soon as I meet everyone." The door suddenly swings open and a pale faced boy stands in the doorway. He has bright orange hair and breathtaking blue benitoite eyes. Freckles scatter themselves in a disorderly fashion over his nose, cheeks and arms. His skin is the colour of sandstone, and his lips are lush red.

"Who are you?" He asks abruptly. His stance doesn't look inviting.

"I'm Spinel, Jack sent me here, uh he said for me to go inside." I reply. "Who are you?" He looks at me like I'm some strange alien from another planet, then he finishes arguing with himself and finally tells me his name.

"I'm just Cory. You must be the new goody two shoes." He sneers, then welcomes me inside. "Nice rock."

"Hey!" I yell as he snatches my rock from my shoulder. "Give him back." I reach out to grab my pet from Cory when a white flash of light blinds me momentarily. I look around and find Cory pinned to the wall by a huge marble fist. "What did you do?"

"What did you do? Freak! Let me go! Here's your stupid rock." He half heartedly chucks my rock, but his throw falls short. I watch as another hand, this one made of quartz, shoots out of the snowy ground and catches the falling stone. "You're worse than me!" He yells, sprinting inside.

"Cory! Come back and help me clean it up. You idiot!" I taste salt in my mouth and realise that tears are flowing from my eyes. I hate being called a freak, but now I'm not sure that I'm not some weird freak of nature. I used to always strive to be different, but now I know better. I know that people judge you from first impressions.

I kneel on the soft ground and don't move, even when I notice soft footsteps and hear my name being called. "Spinel! Spinel I'm sorry." Cory appears at my side. "Just don't cry."

"Help me fix this mess. I've ruined everything already. I shouldn't be here." More tears cascade down my cheeks and fall like little shimmering diamonds. A transparent yellow rose bud blooms in front of my eyes. It looks like it's made of a yellow diamond.

"Did you do that?" Turning my head to Cory, I nod. I had been picturing what this area must've looked like before all the snow. The thought of diamond roses dotting the mountains brings a smile to my lips. Cory slips an arm around my shoulders and guides me inside. "You should smile more. You look prettier when you smile." A faint ruby glow rushes to my cheeks. I look at him to see his face almost as red as mine. Cory is about 2 inches taller than me, and it makes it easier to avoid his blue eyes. His arm is really warm, I realise. I turn my head to see my little rock struggling up the timber wood steps. With a little a giggle, I walk back and help the little guy back onto my shoulder, where he yawns and falls back to sleep.

"Can you help me name him? Later of course." I ask the redhead. "Wait a second." I shush him before he can respond. I walk back outside and place my warm hands on the first giant fiat.

"Careful Spinel." Cory warns from inside.

"Always am." I retort. Cory scoffs but stays silent. I would ask the rock to go back into the stone it came from, but I don't know where it came from. I close my eyes and concentrate on just the rock mass under my palms. I feel the jagged and smooth edges, I trail my fingers over the grainy surface. I let my fingers linger for a while on the cool marble. Then I whisper to the stone to go back to where it came from. A slight wind blows over my knuckles and the ground vibrates for a second, then everything returns to normal. I open my eyes to see the white marble disappear into my outstretched palms. It looks unreal. I move over to the next statue and whisper two words. Go home. It does the exact same thing, except that the quartz moves out of the earth without creating an earthquake.

"That is so cool." I hear a whisper from beside me. I jump back and Cory catches my hand. "Lets go inside now. You've caused enough trouble to last the whole week." Somehow my rock is still asleep on my shoulder when I dash through the hallway, Cory right behind me.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Crystals Outside

**Thank all you readers. I might post this chapter today because I don't have anything on after school unless writing club is on again. Thanks to my 5 followers. You should read KormaKeTe's stories after mine, if she bothered to publish anything.**

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><p>"Wait up!" A voice echoes down the hall. I turn around in time to see Cory crashing into me and bowling both of us over. "Sorry 'bout that. Slippery floors you know." My eyes wander down to his feet, covered in only orange socks, no shoes. Actually his whole outfit is not what I expected a Halloween spirit to wear. Baggy denim shorts and a plain grey tee shirt. I'm no better.<p>

"Why don't you wear shoes?" Cory just shrugs. He is definitely not a normal boy, but then again, I'm not either. Suddenly I feel self conscious. My little bikini and bare feet hardly cover up my body. I shiver a little, realising just how cold this place is. Cory notices and takes off his shirt, tugging it over my messed up hair. My cheeks turn crimson red, but at least it's warmer than nothing. I smile at Cory and he grins back. My first friend in this huge place. My gaze lingers on his body. Muscles stand out on his skin. He is a healthy size, not skinny and not chubby. I quickly avert my eyes when I notice him looking at me.

He strides over to another door that we had ended up in front of. "Why are you here?" He doesn't ask in a mean way, just curious I guess. I did pin him to the side of a wall with huge hands that I somehow created.

"I don't know." I just pull and push on the door until Cory gently taps it twice and it swings open. I wasn't lying, I really don't know why I'm here, why I got a second chance to live, as Nessa would put it. "Whoa!" My jaw falls open as the room takes up my view. Charcoal barriers border a large hole in the floor that shows a lower floor and a higher floor. The ground changes surface and becomes a dark red carpet. The walls are made of some sort of wood, and the stairs that spiral upwards are made of the same. There are benches, tables and chairs, with all sorts of different toys being made by huge furry beasts. Little elves run around on the ground, their little hats tinkling in a Christmassy sort of way.

"They're yetis." Cory's voice appears in my ear. "They make the toys. The elves carry around cookies and stuff like that." I watch as he plucks a large biscuit off a bobbing tray, causing an avalanche of sugary snacks. I react quickly and make a grab for the fallen cookies before they hit the ground. A slab of quartz threads it's way from my palms and becomes a tiny table, catching every last biscuit and the tray all in a neat pile. Not wanting to miss a chance, I snatch a smaller cookie from the pile and bite into it. It's delicious. Perfectly cooked, it's a choc chip cookie that has more than a few chocolates in it. The sugar makes me smile and it also helps me settle into this new way of living. Maybe I could learn to control my new powers so I can use them without getting a heart attack everytime something pops out of my hand.

A round of applause sounds from a corner of the huge room. Searching for the source, I spot a fairy with a turquoise and emerald feathered dress and a plump man who has a red jacket and pants. A black belt fastened around his waist and his curly beard, completes the Santa Claus look, along with a pair of obsidian black shiny boots. Then I see a huge bunny. My heart misses a beat when a golden sandy man appears in front of my face, floating on a little cloud. Jack walks in behind me and completes the picture.

"Spinel, these are the guardians." He gestures to each one, introducing me to them. "Guys, this is Spinel, she woke up 2 days ago. She needs a change of clothes." North, the Santa man, strides over and envelopes me in a huge bear hug. It feels like my ribs are snapping. He releases me and chuckles heartily, giving me a thump on the back, almost tipping over. I grab Cory's arm to steady myself. Next is Tooth. She flits around my face asking many questions that I can't individually make out. Her little hummingbird fairies attack me, forcing my mouth open and checking my teeth. I have a few problems with my teeth. My 12 year old molars are coming in sideways, and I miss school often to visit my orthodontist. Maybe Tooth and her little fairies can help me. Then I meet the huge rabbit.

"H-hi Bunny." I nervously greet him, and he hops over to me, standing as tall as he could possibly be. I try not to look intimidated, but really to me he looks ready to kill a person in a heartbeat, with his huge decorated boomerangs stuck into a sash that goes over one shoulder. He grunts and stares into my eyes as if he were reading every thought. Another breeze floats in through the open door and I remember what happened when I got here, and how both statues left huge gaping holes in the ground.

"Bunny, go close that door." Tooth instructs. The rabbit bounds away from me and I breathe a sigh of relief. Finally the sandman, Sandy. He creates a variety of symbols that don't seem to make sense, until I realise what they are. A shark fin, a moon, a rock, a hand, a snowflake, then a cookie along with the shape of a crystal cut into a heart, ending in a question mark.

"Yes, that's pretty much what happened." I answer. Jack gapes at me.

"You got that?" I wave a hand to dismiss his question, then focus once again on Sandy's symbols. Beginning with a moon, he began to ask me lots of questions, so many that I couldn't process the answers to. His last bunch of symbols asked something like 'what can you do?'

"I have no idea." Sandy just nods and floats away on his little cloud made of gold sand. A loud yell comes from outside.

"Bunny!" Tooth yells back. "What is it?" She zooms down the hall and I hear a small cry of shock. Oh no, maybe they found the holes I made. I feel Cory grab my wrist and tug me out of the room. He runs out of the building and stands just I front of me, which I'm glad for. I hide behind his shoulder, peeping out to see the mess on the ground. The two huge holes are joined by another few crystals that had wormed their way out of the ground. I feel something tug on the hem of Cory's shirt that is still draped over my shoulders, hanging loosely on my gymnast frame. I turn around to see my little rock at my feet.

"Cory!" I hiss under my breath. "I did not make that mess out there. Well, at least not all of it." I scoop up the rock in my hands and place him in his spot on my shoulder, leaning against my neck.

"They're going to blame me for it." He whispers back.

"Cory?" Bunny growls. I feel a pang of guilt. It's my fault that there's holes and dirt everywhere, I might as well own up to it.

"It's my fault. I made this mess." My hand raises itself into the air and my legs carry me forwards. "I'm sorry."

"She didn't know what she was doing. I made her angry, so she did some weird stuff and some rocks came out of the ground. Don't take it out on her. I should've known better." It feels nice to have a friend stand up for you. "I'll help her clean it up."

"Actually, the rocks were made of marble and quartz." I felt the need to tell them that. I might as well let them know. Quartz isn't exactly a rock, it's more of a mineral. Marble could be called a rock I guess. "I think I know what to do." I walk up to the holes and place my hands on either side of one of them. The earth shifts slightly and I notice a vibration running up my arms. I grab the two sides of the hole and pull them together, admiring my own strength. The two halves slam together with a loud crunch, and my hands get stuck inside. I don't feel any pain, it just feels like hands wrapped tightly over my own.

"Spinel!"

"Lauren!" Cory and Jack yell simultaneously. I ask the earth politely to let go so I can fix the next hole. My hands slip out of the dirt and I swivel around to repeat the process with the other hole. My rock yawns sleepily and opens one eye.

"I got a bi lonely, so I made some new friends." He lazily informs me.

"So it was you who made these huge crystals!" I whisper. I feel Bunny burning a hole through my skill with his beady eyes. I must've done something in the past to make him hate me so much. I ignore him and look at the crystals sticking out of the snow. Tooth squeals excitedly.

"Ooh! I love that one!" Her ling skinny finger points to a large black opal embedded in a mudstone rock. I walk over to the opal and reach my hands inside the rock. It worked! I feel around for the back on the crystal and pull it out before placing it in her arms. Luckily it isn't too big. It's about the size of feather but rounded. I absorb the remainder of the mudstone, quietly apologising for taking its jewel away. I close the hole once again and begin taking away the other pillars. One made of a milky quartz that almost resembles moonstone, two made of different sapphire colours, a lump of coal, a blob of lapis lazuli, a haüyne crystal the size of a 50c coin embedded in stone. I take that gem and put it in a pocket I had discovered a few minutes ago in Cory's huge shirt. The last pillar. Emerald. I place my right hand on the stone like I always had, but this one feels different. It feels like it doesn't want to disappear. I wouldn't blame it. The colours of this gem are majestical. The emerald is the size of a pillow, and it is just a crystal, no matrix. (Matrix is just a term for the rock that gems are found in.) I look at it for a while, wondering why this one wouldn't cooperate with me like the others had. I turn to my shoulder rock and ask him why.

"It's because emerald is a show off." He answered gleefully.

"Can you reason with it?"

"I'll take it and add it to my shell." His response leaves me confused. The emerald is 10 times bigger than him.

"Don't you get any bigger or I'll force you to walk on your own two legs." I warn him. He hops down and waddles over to the disobedient stone, opening his mouth wide. For a second I think that he's going to attempt to eat it, but he's just yawning. He clambers up the side where a staircase appears to be carved from the gem. He reaches the top and sits down.

"You will shrink now." He tells the emerald. I wait, standing still as the emerald shakes, then disappears, only to reappear in the rock's little fingers. It's smaller than the haüyne that I took, and just as pretty as it was before it shrank.

"You have to teach me that." I tell him. He nods and I scoop him into my hands, turning to face our little audience. Cory runs up to me and takes my rock out of my hands, snatching the emerald from his grasp. "Hey! That's his not yours!" Scolding Cory worked, because he immediately apologised and set my rock on the ground, placing the emerald beside him. The rock picked up the crystal and balanced it on his head. With a clap of his hands the rock bounced over him and embedded itself in the back of his shell. The emerald gives a small sigh, as if it had been away from home for too long.

"Lauren?"


	8. Chapter 8 - Shadowed Forests

**Thank you so much for your review PixanaWillow. I really appreciate it. I was so happy when I saw it. Thanks. Also thanks to everyone who reads this story. Remember that if you have any questions you can always ask me. And when you see a gem name and want to know what colour it is, search it up on google.**

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><p>A tiny little voice chirps from behind me. I search the guardians faces, but they're just as clueless as I am. I think the voice came from somewhere over the hills. A trail of black sand leads me to the edge of a forest. I pause, waiting for the others to catch up to me. A stone appears out of the corner of my eye. I take one step forwards and everything turns black. I feel my way over to the others.<p>

"What's going on?" Tooth gives voice to the many question whirring in my head.

"I don't know. Spinel where are you?"

"I'm here Cory. I just wanna try something." I half crawl over to the stone I had seen earlier. "Hey do you think this will work?" I whisper to my shoulder. My rock hops off me and I search through the stone to find what I was looking for. Rose quartz. "Please, please help us. My friends and I need light. Would you be able to light up the way for us?" A small pebble of the quartz begins to glow a soft pink light.

"You are absolutely brilliant!" Cory exclaims. The glow expands and becomes stronger as we walk through the shadow shrouded forest.

"Do you think there's a way out?" Jack asks nervously. "I don't want to have to face Pitch like this. I need sleep." I suddenly feel dizzy and light headed. I stumble a little and fall onto my knees. It feels as though a weighted net had been thrown over me, and now someone was hauling in their catch.

"Spinel, are you okay?" Tooth reaches out a hand to help me to my feet when I smell a burning noise from behind me.

"Calm down mate." Bunny snaps. "You're gonna set us all on fire." I turn around, still on my knees to see Cory's hair burning and his eyes sparkling. He looks mad.

"Pitch! This isn't funny!" He yells to the darkness. "Come out now!" A demonic laugh sounds from all around us, making my lights flicker. I push more light into them and everything gets brighter. My head throbs and my ears ring. I can barely hear what Jack is shouting and I can feel Cory's arms around my knees and shoulders. Everything seems to be changing colours and my vision blurs. My friends, and Bunny, smudge like they are being rubbed out by an eraser. The laughter begins again, but this time it's more of an evil cackle.

"Guys? Where are you?" My heart beats double it's regular speed and a black sandy hand rests on my shoulder. I spin on my heel to face a 2 metre tall man with glowing topaz eyes and coal black clothing. His skin has a sickly grey tinge to it, and his voice hurts my ears.

"What are you?" My eyes study his every move. He may be a murderer. He certainly looks the part. "What do you want?" He removes his hand from my shoulder to prod at my rock. I slap his hand away. "Stop it!"

"Why? It's so much more fun to tease you." As if to prove his point, he holds a piece of paper in front of my face. "Your fear is there, you don't need to hide it." My school report. I have to get it back before he gives it to my mum. If she sees that I failed in everything, she'll kill me.

"I'm not afraid of you, you freak." I snap at him.

"Your friends are though. They must be glad that you disappeared." He grips my wrist. "How sad for you, a weak, out of control little child."

"I'm not a child!"

"I can make you very afraid, girl. Don't push me." I slap at his hand but he just digs his nails into my arm.

"I used to scare myself to sleep every night. I don't think I need your help."

"Then there must be something wrong with you." His tone insults me. I glare at him.

"There is nothing wrong with me. Maybe you should take a look at yourself."

"What?"

"You're a freak. You love to scare me, don't you? What kind of sick joke is that?" His facial expression changes.

"I'm the bogey man. It's what I was made to do." He say dryly. I laugh despite myself.

"The booger man? No wonder you hate everyone so much. Your name, oh wow."

"Shut up!" I jump at his voice, and an unpleasant tingle runs down my back. "You're going to come with me!"

I wrench my arm out of his iron grip and run. I have no idea where, but I don't stop until my rock falls and I have to stop to pick him back up. Then we keep going. "Cory! Jack! Tooth! Bunny! Help." I stumble and fall, falling on my elbow. A bolt of searing pain shoots up my arm into my brain and I break down and cry. I cry for my brother, and for my parents, for Riley and for Nessa. I also cry for myself, something I haven't done in years. My tears flow freely and I curl my knees up to my chest, becoming a little ball on the shadowed forest floor. I cry for Lauren's death and the confusion of becoming Spinel. I cry because I finally made friends, but I also met the bogey man. I cry because I may never get to see them again. I'll never get to say goodbye to Nessa. I cry until I have nothing more to cry for, and then I fall asleep.

I dream of Nessa, and of me before I woke up, when I was normal. Nessa is laughing and we're both just playing around in her garden, poking fun at her fish and tormenting her birds. Sky and and her many, many huge fish. I also see Jack looking at us with a smile on his face. I don't notice him until he comes into my view, right in front of Nessa. I wave hello but he doesn't see me. His hair is brown and his eyes are hazel. Cory comes through Nessa's back door, but his hair is blonde, and his skin is the same as mine. Next is Tooth, but like the others, she doesn't look like her normal self, she looks like a normal lady. Her fairies are nowhere to be seen, and her clothes are completely different. She has a small tattoo of a tooth on the back of her neck, a tooth with wings. Her hair is tied up in a neat bun and she smiles, sauntering over to stand beside North. He lost the outfit and exchanged it with a huge shirt and shorts. His beard is very short, and his face is more detailed, with wrinkles that tell of how old he really is. I spot a tiny little rabbit and assume it's bunny. He's sitting on a boomerang. I scan the area for Sandy or Pitch, but I don't see them anywhere. Never mind. Pitch strides through the double doors and outstretches his arms in a greeting.

"Welcome everyone. Today you will be moving off to your various parties, but I would first like to propose a toast. To the special lady that is soon to be my wife. Jillian, would you like to step up onto the stage?" My mouth drops open in shock. Nessa's mum is marrying Pitch? Why? He scares little kids for the fun of it. Nessa can't have the bogey man for a dad. What happened to Robert? This s so confusing.

"Hey honey." Jillian murmurs as she walks up onto the porch.

"Nessa! Did you know any of this was happening?" Ness doesn't hear me, so I turn to Jack. "Don't you recognise Pitch?" Again no response. I reach out with a hand to shake his shoulder, but my hand passes through him. I'm a ghost! I don't exist. Is this what would've happened if no one became a guardian and I was the only one? Is this just Pitch playing games? Cory, maybe he remembers me. I grab for his hand but the same thing happens. I go straight through his arm. Tears trickle their way down my cheeks and drip slowly. They shatter into tiny fragments when they hit the ground. I catch one in my hand and notice they're made of glass. Maybe I can get them to see me. Without using myself of course. I will a yellow diamond flower to sprout from the ground and rest on an emerald stem, along with thorns. Then a pink flower, then a white, orange blue red and purple. Suddenly the party guests notice the flowers and stop to look at them. I create two especially for Cory and Nessa. Small veins and other inclusions spell out _'Lauren/Spinel'_. I hope that they understand my message. I place the cyan rose in Nessa's hands and the orange one in Cory's. I wait for them to read my words. It should've been difficult to carve the diamond, I realise. Who cares about that?

"Lauren, where are you?" Nessa cries. "I remember now. You were my best friend, and you went to the beach with me and you talked and drank our wine and we had so much fun. Where are you?" She searches desperately for me, but she still can't see me. I remember what Jack said when I first met him. 'She doesn't believe in me'. Maybe she needs to believe in Spinel, and what better way to do that than to spell it out for her. I change the message on the petals, _'Believe in me. I'm right here. ~Spinel' _

"Cory? Did you get it?" I look over to see him staring straight back at me. My mouth curves upwards in a smile and I run over to wrap my arms around him. Nessa comes from behind and squeezes me tightly. Cory hugs the both of us and the adults and the guardians stare at us like we're lunatics. Whispers go around the garden and soon Nessa decides it's only fair to let me breathe.

"Spinel! Is that your new name? That's so cool." She stands back to look at Cory and I. He releases me quickly and Nessa sighs. "You guys are so great together. I wish Jack would notice me." Her eyes wander over to the brown haired guardian. I suddenly realise what she said.

"Nessa, we're not a thing." I say quickly, gesturing to Cory and then to myself. Cory's arms wrap around me again and his head rests on my shoulder, his breath tickling my ear.

"Now we are."


	9. Chapter 9 - Lights Out

**I think this story is going well. I can't get all of my ideas into one chapter, they sorta contradict each other. When I get an idea I write it down on a purple post it note and stick it to the side of my bed. Thanks for your kind words KormaKeTe and PixanaWillow. Please review everyone! You guys are awesome.**

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><p>My eyes open to see Cory's face in mine. I gently push him away and sit up off the rock I had rested my head on. Everyone's eyes are on me.<p>

"Where were you?" Jack demands.

"You disappeared and we were searching all over for you." Tooth adds.

"I met Pitch. I hate him! He tried to kidnap me! He had topaz eyes and his cloak was coal black." Cory wraps his warm arms around me and helps me to my feet. I feel safer now that the shadows are gone. I wonder who it was that called my name. I don't recognise the voice, and I'm not sure if I should. Maybe it was someone else calling out to a different Lauren.

"We have to go back to the others. They must be frantic by now." The fairy's words confuse me. We were only gone for about 20 minutes, weren't we? I follow them anyway, and Cory grabs my right hand. Jack joins him on my left and we walk in a straight line up and over the hills. After 5 minutes of mountain climbing and shivering the workshop finally comes into view. I race the boys inside, and Bunny joins in. The three of us burst through the door at the same time to find Bunny already inside, talking to Sandy. He must've cheated, there's no way he could beat all of us without anyone noticing.

"You don't want to race a rabbit mate." He says lazily. I huff at him.

"You cheated!"

"It's not cheating if you people got a head start." He replies. I glare at his dumb reasoning and yawn a little. My nap didn't really satisfy my need for sleep.

"I'm so tired." Cory whines. He must've been looking for me all night. I really hate Pitch, but both of the little kids need to sleep.

"Same."

"Get to bed both of you." I fling myself onto a couch I find next to me and look up at North. He towers above me.

"You must be exhausted."

"Off to bed you two."

"But-" I begin.

"Come on." Bunny tugs at Cory's shirt that reaches down to my elbows.

"I don't wanna move!" Cory plonks himself on top of me. I struggle underneath him, but he isn't that heavy.

"Fine!" Bunny throws his paws up in defeat. "Stay there."

"We'll move you later." Jack adds.

"What?" Cory shrieks in alarm. Maybe he doesn't like being carried.

"Why? We're happy with the couch. And I don't have anywhere else to go."

"You don't, but your friend here does." Jack gestures to the curled up Cory. The kid opens one eye and grabs my leg. I try to kick at him but he grabs my other leg and I give up.

"I have to stay here to protect Spinel." He cries.

"You can't both fit on the same couch." Bunny tries to pry Cory off the seat and off me, but it evidently isn't working.

"Problem solved. Now we eat." North exclaims, pushing forward another chair.

"What food do we have? Do we even need to eat food as guardians?" I ask Tooth. She just pats my head, and I flop over the arm of the couch. I'm starving now. I don't know what I'm going to eat, therefore the anticipation makes me hungry. It's simple kid logic.

"Come on Spinel, you're going to miss out on the show. Don't be so lazy." Jack tugs me up off the soft cushions that I had used to make a bed and Cory, seizing the opportunity, grabs every last one of them. I press my fingertips together and pull at an invisible thread, which quickly becomes a stick of coal. I poke him in the ribs and he attempts to hold back a laugh. He's ticklish, I figure out gleefully. I poke him again and again until he surrenders and gives me back my cushions. I curtsy mockingly and run after Jack, hoping that I won't be attacked back. My rock grabs the stick and adds it to his shell. He had added a piece of the glowing quartz without me noticing. Now there are a grand total of 3 minerals in his mudstone shell. Jack guides me over to a table and I see an assortment of foods, from all different countries. There's Greek salad, tacos, stir fry, curry and sausages all lined up neatly.

Cory comes up beside me and pinches me. I whack him back, softly of course. He elbows me and quickly jumps right over the food table.

"How did you do that?" I ask him.

"Cory get you feet on the ground, not in the air!" Tooth scolds him. Sandy nods in agreement. I hadn't even noticed him before. A yeti emerges from a gate that must lead to the kitchen, holding a tray stacked with plates and glasses. North takes a seat next to Tooth at the end of the table. Jack sits on the other side of Tooth and Sandy places himself next to Jack. Bunny seats himself next to North, leaving only two seats reserved for Cory and I. He'd better not tickle me. If he does I'll squeal and fall backwards.

"Ladies first." Cory pulls back my chair to let me sit down, but I've had enough experience to know what's going to happen. I sit for a split second before standing up again. Just as I guessed, Cory tips the chair backwards, expecting me to fall onto the ground, but I'm already standing. I snatch my chair back from him and sit down. "Hey! How'd you know?"

"I just did." He drops himself into the chair beside me and stares at the food plates in front of us. The yeti comes around with the plates and cups, placing them in front of everyone.

"This is a very special meal, for tonight, Spinel joins us to feast." North announces.

"They did this for me when I first came here." Cory whispers into my ear. "We usually steal food from the cupboards and eat in our rooms. The yeti's don't seem to appreciate it, even though it means that they don't have to cook." I smirk at him and look hungrily at all of the different flavours in the centre. I see the others taking food from the middle, so I decide not to hesitate.

"Spinel, you can have whatever you want." Tooth says kindly. I feel like being healthy, so my first option is the salad. I use the wooden spoon to create a pile of lettuce, olives, feta, capsicum, tomato, cucumber, onion and salad dressing on my plate. It's not weird for a kid to love salad, is it? I grab a bit of everything, and by the time dinner is finished I'm full, and exhausted.

"Wash up, and then it's time to sleep kiddies." Cory and I groan simultaneously. Being the youngest stinks. At least with my brother he couldn't care less what I did. I could stay up until 5 in the morning chatting to Nessa and he wouldn't bat an eyelid. I miss Ness so much. I want to visit her and talk to her and have her meet the rest of the guardians.

"Follow me Spinel, I'll show you where to go." Cory tugs me down a hallway and I think I hear North chuckle, saying something about young love. What the hell is he rambling on about? I turn back, but the adults are already gone. "This is my room." He says, pointing out a tiny box that has barely enough space for a single bed.

"I can see why you want to sleep on the couch."

"It's not that bad, really. It's kind of worse, since Bunny's next door."

"And he's got a way better room?"

"Exactly." We both laugh and walk back out into the hallway. He points out a number of different rooms, but I don't think I'm expected to memorize them.

"Why don't you put a shirt on?"

"You have my only one." He replies cheerfully. "And you like me better without a shirt, don't you?"

"Shut up." I shove him gently, hoping that he can't see my face.

"What did you put in the pocket before?" He stops walking and stands, waiting for my answer.

"Haüyne. I took one from a rock, because it's the same colour as your eyes."

"Show me." I take the stone out of the pocket and place it in his outstretched hand. He turns it over in his fingers, examining the colour. I wish I could find a pleochronic rock. Then I could explain to him why it changed colours in different lights and viewing angles. We stand in silence for a few moments after he gives me back my stone. Suddenly I feel a movement on my shoulder and my rock jumps down onto the ground, landing with a soft thud.

"What is it?" I ask. He never gets off his perch on my shoulder unless he wants something or he's forced off. The rock's eyes open and he opens his tiny little hand. The lights suddenly flicker, then go out. I bend down to touch a finger to his palm, and feel a jolt of energy run through me. A heavy thing appears in my other hand and I drop it. I hate the dark. It makes me jumpy. My rock's shell glows with the rose quartz's light. I pick up the crystal I had dropped just before. I run my fingers over the rough surface and one word comes to my mind. Alexandrite. I hold it up to the light emanating from the quartz and see the colours changing. It definitely is Alexandrite. I give it to Cory to look at, while I try to figure out what happened to the lights.

"Cory and Spinel! get back in here right now!" Jack yells from the kitchen. Maybe the lights went out everywhere. I stumble and nearly trip over my own feet, but I right myself and feel along the wall, grasping Cory's arm tightly.

"Hurry up Spinel, you won't fall." I start to move faster. "At least, I don't think you will." I trip again and look at my feet. My rock sits there, looking as innocent as possible.

"It was not me." I lift him up and put him back on my shoulder. As soon as I get used to the dark, I run over to where Jack is standing.

"Spinel wait! How can you see?"

"I got used to the dark." I reply calmly. Jack waits there, and as soon as he sees me, his face lights up.

"Good to see someone's still here." He says, steering me over to the couches. "The others went to check on the lights." Cory pulls me onto the lounge opposite him and shakes my hand gently. "Night." Jack dismisses us and walks away, occasionally tripping in the nearly pitch black room.

"I'll still be here in the morning." Cory whispers.

"I don't doubt it." I whisper back.


	10. Chapter 10 - Ankle Injuries

**Hi guys, I'm back. Sorry for the wait. I've been quite busy, my bro's b'day and all. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

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><p>The lights are still off, and I can't get to sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see Pitch's topaz ones. He haunts me even here with Cory. I roll over trying to get comfortable. The only way I can relax is if I stop breathing. I tried it for a while, but it didn't work that well, seeing as you have to breathe to stay alive. Maybe Cory's still awake. I could talk until I fall asleep mid sentence.<p>

"Cory?" I whisper loudly. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah" comes his short answer.

"Okay"

"Why?" His question doesn't suprise me. Why am I keeping him awake? Is it still a good idea to talk? Should I tell him about Pitch? No, I won't. I don't want him to worry.

"I was just wondering."

"Well, it's sorta hard to get to sleep when you're busy dancing in your sleep." Was I really that loud? I thought I was being discreet.

"I'm so sorry about that."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does! I'm such a bad friend, keeping you awake when you want to sleep."

"Don't worry." He reaches out a hand to touch my ice cold fingers. "I'll stay awake as long as I want to. Then I'll start to ignore you."

"Why would you want to stay awake?"

"To see you." He says it so casually, like it's an obvious answer. My face begins to heat up. How can he see me in this dark? His hand closes around mine and with one tug, I'm on the cold floor. "Now you won't make as much noise if you're going to move around."

"How clever of you sir."

"Who said you were my friend?"

"Oh" I feel really weird. I don't know why.

"You are though. You're probably the best friend I've had in this place. The others don't understand me. They think that if I go outside, I'll run away to my sister. She has a debt to pay off. With Pitch of course." Cory has a sister? I realise I don't know that much about him, really.

"What's her name?" He pauses as if it's some top secret information.

"Forest. She's Mother Nature somehow."

"Somehow?" I stare at him quizzically through the dark.

"She's just not the Mother Nature type." The subject is closed and the silence is deafening.

"Does your quiet mean that you want to go to sleep?"

"No. I'm going to keep talking to you." He sounds childish. I probably do too.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing, anything, it doesn't really matter. Wait, what was the crystal that you put in my hand?" I remember now. The alexandrite.

"It was a pleochronic gem. Alexandrite to be exact."

"Pleo-what?" He can't even say the word.

"Ple-o-chro-nic." I spell it out slowly.

"And what the hell is that?" I'm so happy that I get to explain. I don't think wanting to explain a word so desperately is normal. I'm not normal, in my defence.

"It means that either under certain lighting or certain viewing angles, the crystal appears to change colours. That's what pleochronic means."

"Great, now in English?"

"The rock changes colours when you move it." I'm not sure why he didn't get my first explanation. Nessa did, when she was 10. "Or if you have different lighting."

"Is it changing colours now?" He holds up the large crystal and squints, trying to detect the change of colour. "Get your rock to give us some light."

"I could do it myself." I'm not actually sure if I can, but it's worth a try. I lift my hands up and concentrate on the glass chandelier that hangs from the ceiling. Glass is made from sand, and sand has all sorts of minerals in it, so I'm assuming that the glass will be able to hold light. Light that I give it anyway. I push all my energy into reaching the glass, then I use my reasoning techniques to argue in my mind with the clear material, trying to get it to stop talking to me. I never had to deal with the voices before. Maybe it's something to do with how tired I am. I finally get the light bulbs to stop telling me about how long they've been sitting there by striking a deal. If I get them down from the ceiling tomorrow morning, I get to keep the light there for the whole time I'm awake. Then they'll switch off so the light doesn't drain me of energy. They apparently can't hold onto light for very long. The bulbs flicker, then turn on. The room lights up and I suddenly look around to see that I'm really high up. I must be standing up, but I can't feel anything under my feet. I'm not floating though, I notice by looking down at my toes.

"Spinel!" I feel myself falling and I land with a jolt on my feet. I feel a crack and I can't stand up. Cory runs over and grabs me just before I fall. He scoops me up and places me up onto the couch. "I heard a snap! Does it feel like you hurt your ankles in any way?"

"What the heck just happened?"

"You were flying."

"No I wasn't. I saw the wood underneath my feet."

"You weren't standing on anything."

"Yes I was! I saw it!"

"You're so dumb!"

"How?" My feet start to throb and I try to wiggle my toes. It sends excruciating pain up my leg and into my exhausted brain.

"You weren't standing on anything. I saw you!"

"But-" Cory wraps his arms around me and embraces me in a tight hug.

"Don't you ever scare me like that!"

"How were you scared? I wasn't. It was fun, until it hurt." He hits me lightly on my shoulder.

"You floated up until your head brushed the ceiling, and then you fell. I'm surprised all you did was hurt your feet." I look up to the roof and realise how high it actually was, how high up I was. Despite myself, I give a little wave to the light bulbs and they flicker in response. "You're such an idiot." He adds in my ear.

"Hey!" I tackle him to the floor and pin his flailing arms to his sides. "I'm not an idiot. I brought back the light!"

"Yes you did." A laugh comes from the doorway and I turn my head to see North and the others standing there.

"Why'd the lights go out?" Bunny asks.

"They were sick of being up there. They threw a huge tantrum and managed to blow every light bulb in the process." Everyone stares at me. "What? Ever heard of a strike?"

"How can you communicate with the lights? They're not alive and they don't talk." Jack's comment seems to offend the glass and we're stuck in darkness again.

"He didn't mean it!" I yell to the roof. The lights turn back on and I feel a wave of pride wash over me. I managed to fix something without seriously hurting myself. "Glass is made of sand and sand is a whole lot of minerals," I say, repeating the reasoning I had told myself." So I guess that gives me partial control over them?"

"That's great!" Tooth cries. "Now you can fix everything."

"Maybe not." I do not want to be their handyman. North chuckles and walks over to me, the little kid trapped on the couch.

"What happened?" Jack asks, looking at Cory's face.

"She was floating up to the roof, then when the lights came back on she fell. I think there's some sort of fracture. Her left ankle is bruised, but her right is really swollen." Doctor Cory. I'll add that to the list of things I didn't know about him.

"Where's my rock?" I look around for him, but I can't see him anywhere. I begin to panic. Where could he have gone? Something cold brushes against my leg and I grab it. There he is.

"I can make something to aid your recovery." His little face wrinkles into a smile. I just nod. My ankle is making it hard to think. It's very painful. My rock spins his fingers round and around in circles until a bandage forms from his fingers. It's woven with threads of platinum to keep it heavy and gold to make it softer. I'm not sure how it's going to help. I won't be able to walk properly. I feel warm and cold fingers on my ankle and I watch closely at what Jack and Cory are doing. I have a memory of Nessa bandaging up my wrist after I fell off the bars at a gymnastics competition. I said it was fun on the way down, but when I lost a whole mark for my fall, it wasn't as fun. I could've dominated in the bars. She took me to the hospital the next day to tell me that my wrist was broken. Nessa panicked more than I did. Now it's my foot that's injured, and once again it was fun on the way down. Cory wraps his hand around my ankle and takes the bandage out of the rock's offering hands. He wraps it around and around and around until it feels secure, then looks around for something to stick the end down.

"Spinel, are you okay?" Tooth asks with the tone of a worried mother.

"You must will the bandages to aid you, or it will not work." My rock instructs me while I try over and over again to seal the open end. Finally I push the end together with the wrapped up part and they mould together. The whole thing shifts the slightest bit when I move my foot. It feels so cool. There's pressure, sure, but it looks and feels like a really comfy boot. I try to stand, but my ankle can't take the weight of my body and I fall back onto the couch.

"Jack, do you think I can fly like you?" I ask.

"I think it's a possibility. Why?"

"I'm gonna visit Nessa!"

"She might not be able to see you." I suddenly remember the dream I had when I got lost in the forest, and I realise that Jack is right. But I'm wiling to risk it to see Nessa again. I miss her so much.

"She can see you though!" Maybe it's not impossible.

"That's because she believes in me."

"Me too."

"She thinks you're dead." How straightforward.

"That's still belief."

"Come with me." Jack scoops me up in his arms and carries me out of the room.

"Where are we going?"

"To visit Nessa"

"Now?"

"Yes"

"Can't we just bring her back here?"

"We still have to go back and get her." Jack makes a good point, but I can argue with him for as long as I want. I will have the last word.

"Why can't I stay at the workshop?" I ask as we take off into the freezing cold air. I still haven't changed my clothes since I got here.

"Because I'm not sure where Ness lives."

"But you went there to visit us before."

"That was because I was bored. I didn't notice where I was."


	11. Chapter 11 - Reunion

**Hello. Thanks for your continued support. Read KormaKeTe's 2 new stories. Please review, favourite and follow if you like this story. I'm sorry for begging. I'm going to try to update soon. Thank you to my newest follower mariihamadeh. Thanks to everyone. I don't own rise of the guardians. Just saying I do own the plot and _my_ characters, so don't steal, cos stealing's illegal.**

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><p>"You should've been looking around." I have to win this argument.<p>

"Why don't you want to come with me to Nessa's house" jacks question surprises me. Is that what it seems like?

"I do!"

"Then why are you arguing?"

"Because I can. And my foot hurts." If I wanted to I couldve come up with more creative responses.

"So you do want to go to Nessa's house?"

"Yep"

"But your foot hurts and you want to have an argument with me."

"Not you in particular."

"Should I feel thankful or offended?" He looks confused.

"Both"

"You are such a child." I take his comment as a compliment.

"I'm gonna stay like this forever, aren't I?"

"Well I'm 300 years old, so yeah, probably." He doesn't seem like he's lying.

"Wow"

"What?"

"You're an old man."

"Compared to the others? Not so much." I think of North. I suddenly feel really small.

"How old's Cory?"

"Hard to tell."

"How?" I think he seems about 14-15, but I'm not really sure about this no ageing guardian thing.

"He acts like a toddler sometimes, but then he's an adult at other times."

"He's confusing." I agree.

"You've just met him."

"He's my friend."

"Yeah? What's his favourite colour?"

"Orange. You didn't know that did you. I saw it in your face. I can tell when someone asks a question to find the answer for themselves." I can tell the same way I can tell when someone's lying. They have telltale signs, always. I study liars and people who know nothing and always ask questions.

"You're joking."

"I had a lot of practice with my older brother." I tell him the whole story about my brother and how he ran away. First I get the sympathetic smile, then a heart warming hug.

"Well I'll be your brother now."

"You just met me." More arguing from me.

"Not really."

"A few days. But who cares about time? You can be my older brother."

"Okay. What's Tooth?"

"She can be the mum."

"North Sandy and Bunny?" What does he want? A family tree?

"Dad, uncle and rude big brother."

"And Cory."

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I just don't."

"Okay." Silence echoes back to us in the wind. I look down at the town that just appeared below us. I see Nessa's new car. It looks as new as it was when I last saw it.

"That's Nessa's house there."

"Where?"

"The big white one. The one with the brand new car that we went in to go to the beach."

"I see it." Jack carries me directly to the window and I look in to see Nessa crying into her brother's shoulder. If it's about me, I'm going in there and drying her tears with a hair dryer.

"Nessa!" Jack raps his knuckles on the foggy window. Kenneth looks around, but Ness shoos him out. He leaves willingly. He was never really the comforting type of brother.

"Jack? Is that you?" Nessa half runs over to the window and flings it open. "Jack!" She hugs him around the middle, pulling him into her room. I squeeze in just before she shuts the window again. She releases Jack and sighs deeply. "I wish Lauren was here."

"She is." Jack replies. "She's right here."

"No Jack, she's not. She's gone."

"I don't think you're making her feel really happy right now." He says gently. "She pestered me to bring her here and now you're saying that she's dead."

"But the police said that there was no sign of her, and I saw, I saw the shark."

"But you didn't see her, did you? Shes still here." Nessa looks around and I place myself in front of her. No response. She can't see me. This is just like my dream I had. I miss her so much. I just wish she would see me. "Lauren's right in front of you. You have to believe in her to see her." Ness blinks once, twice, then her face erupts into a huge smile.

"Lauren! I knew you weren't gone! My dad said the police searched everywhere for you but they couldn't find you. I knew that you would've gotten away." She sees me! Her arms wrap around me in a bone crushing embrace. When she pulls away, I tickle her to the ground, pinning her down with my foot. My good foot. My right ankle still hurts, and I can feel the bandage around it. It doesn't feel as bad though. The bandage really does help a lot.

"I'm not dead Ness! What were you talking about?" I tease. "I expected you of all people to believe that I would make it through. I have no idea how I'm still here."

"I knew you weren't dead, of course. I though you could tell when I was lying." She is the worst liar I have ever met.

"I know you thought I was dead. You lied just then. See? I can tell when someone's lying." I let her up again and she stands.

"I missed you so much! You have no idea how crazy it was after you were gone."

"I think I have a good idea. It was pretty crazy where I was too." I think of the crystals and Pitch and all of the guardians, and my ankle.

"I knew you didn't die you retard! I just thought you were gone." She's still arguing.

"My name's Spinel. Spinel, not Lauren."

"What are you talking about? Isn't spinel a type of gem? Why'd you change your name?"

"So many questions!" I laugh. "Firstly, I'm not sure. Second, it is. It's a gem that's been confused with ruby for a _long _time. Thirdly, I didn't. The moon did." I know what her next question will be.

"How did the moon tell you?" She asks. Nailed it.

"I'll start from the beginning. I woke up at the bottom of the ocean just before the sun came up. The strange thing was, I could breathe underwater. And move freely, not like in slow motion. Then I started floating out of the water and the moon told me I was Spinel. I assumed that was my name." Ness nods, understanding the story hopefully, not just falling asleep. "Then I went back into the water and picked up all the gems that I put in my pocket. I also met this guy," I gesture to my shoulder, "and he confirmed my name. Then Jack brought me to North's workshop and I met the rest of the guardians." I describe in full detail my whole day, starting with the marble fist and finishing at when I fell from the ceiling and shattered my ankle. Ness a lets out a squeal when she realises that I'm wearing Cory's shirt.

"You have to prove all of this to me!" She looks eargerly at me, awaiting a reply.

"Why don't you come back with us?" Jack asks. "I could probably carry both of you."

"Yes!" Nessa squeals.


	12. Chapter 12 - Ness Coming Over

**Hey guys, it's me. My laptop is officially dead, meaning I have to type on my iPad, which is a lot slower than usual. The rain is really heavy. We even got hail over here. I'm sorry if I don't update soon. I have two chapters in a row cos I split 11 into two parts. It was a bit long, and now it's not. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own this movie, but I do own the other characters that I made and I also own the plot of the story. This isn't really a disclaimer. It's a claim and disclaim. Anyway, it is plagiarism if you take my ideas, so please don't. Remember to review and follow, and tell your friends about it. This is the longest intro I've ever done, by far.**

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><p>"Nessa? What are you doing?" Nessa's dad appears at the top of the stairs.<p>

"Can I just go to a friends house?" She begs.

Knowing her dad can't hear or see us, Jack tells her to call it a sleepover for a few days. She does, and he looks really concerned, but finally gives in. He probably thought that she was going to disappear off in someone else's house and never come back. I look over at Jack. I'm not sure if he can carry both of us. I don't want Nessa to be the one to fall.

"Jack, can you teach me to fly?" If I can fly, I'll make it so much safer for Ness."

"I really don't know, but you can try. Just don't injure yourself again."

"I won't." I know I won't. I'm not sure how, but lately I haven't been sure of a lot of things, it's nothing new or worrying. Being unsure opens up a whole lot of new opportunities. That's a positive way of thinking. A negative thought would be that I should jump out the window and die because I shouldn't be alive anyway. That is something I do not need right now. I watch as Jack positions Nessa so she won't fall and balances himself on the ledge of her window Ness had eagerly pushed open moments before. He bends his knees and suddenly jumps and the wind catches him. Nessa squeals into his ear as he flies in a loop.

"I'm right here to catch you Spinel." He says, floating just under the window. I'm not sure how he'll be able to catch me with Nessa clinging to his neck, but I don't think I'll need the assistance. At least I hope I don't. I suddenly fling myself out of the open window and feel myself falling. I squeeze my eyes shut and suddenly I'm floating. Not very well, but I'm not a pancake in the driveway.

"Go Spinel!" Nessa cheers. I remember her dad saying something about doing the chores and I remember doing Nessa's chores. He promised me $20 if I did it all, and I did. If I could just get that money, I could turn it into a birthday present for Nessa. Her birthday is soon, sort of, and I don't want to give her a gem for her birthday, I want ther to have a normal birthday present that normal people get from their normal friends.

"Ness! Can you get $20 from your dad? He promised me my pocket money for doing your chores last week, and I want the reward before he forgets." I don't mention her birthday.

"Jack?" He carries her over to her window and she runs down the stairs calling her dad's name.

"What Nessa? I already told your mum, and you're not extending your trip any longer than 5 days." He sounds irritated. I would never dare to call my parents by their first name.

"Spi-Lauren wants $20 for doing her chores and mine last week. Can I give it to her?"

"Nessa! Lauren isn't here to collect her money, so you can't have it either. She would've wanted to spend it herself." Her dad yells. How rude to Nessa! I sent her to get the money, and she's gonna receive it anyway, so why not just give it to her?

"She told me to get it for her vos you can't see her and stuff like that."

"Stop making things up! She's gone and nothing is going to change that. She is not an imaginary friend And she is not invisible to me."

"Robert! She is right here and I can prove it. Lauren, can you show him something? Anything." She sounds like a wife telling off her husband. I don't know what to do. Should I make a diamond rose or would that be too expensive? I don't want them getting unnaturally rich and being thrown in jail for a robbery or something. Maybe I could make a freshwater pearl necklace? Still too expensive. I'll just make my name in Quartz. I create a long slab of quarts crystal by pressing my fingertips apart then stretching an invisible thing until the Quartz forms. Then I press my finger to the slab and write. Rutile crystals form in the Quartz and suddenly I wish I had used agate. Then I could do colours instead of thin lines. The rutile crystals form _'Lauren is_ _here!'_because I didn't know what else to write. Nessa picks it up and turns it around. Robert takes a long look at the slab and tells Nessa to read it out to him. She reads it then runs up to her room to pack her bags. "I'll get the money when I'm ready to leave." She says. I just nod and rummage thought her drawers. I pick out a nice dress that's made for the cold where's she chooses a pair of shorts and a tiny mid drift singlet.

"Nessa, we're going to a place covered in snow." Jack tells her.

"I know. That's why I have to look good. The white makes my skin look yellow." She has such a bad choice of sensible clothing. I shake my head in frustration.

"Why don't you pack some other things like a toothbrush and shoes and stuff and Jack and I will get your clothes that you won't freeze to death in." I lead Jack to a ladder that's hidden in the corner of her room and climb up, pushing open the top and hauling myself up. I hate coming up here. I place my rock friend on the ground and his rose Quartz begins to glow. I quickly look around and find the thing I was looking for. A huge bag saying winter clothes. I tug it towards the opening and move aside, pushing it through the hole. It gets stuck. I instruct Jack to pull on the top of it while I push. I suddenly feel really claustrophobic and push with more determination. It finally falls through the gap and takes Jack out with it.

"Ouch."

"Sorry Jack!" I call down the ladder. I gently lower myself down and pull the flap shut behind me.


	13. Chapter 13 - Back to the Pole

**Hi. This is still on my iPad. My last chapter didn't really make sense, I read over it half an hour ago. Sorry about that. I'll try to make this one make sense. Thanks to everyone who's followed and reviewed. It really does mean a lot to me. Get better soon KormaKeTe. We missed you today. Thanks to all of you people who are reading this story. You guys are my loyal readers. Please take the time to review, follow and favourite, blah blah.**

** I don't own rise of the guardians. The things I do own: the plot, my characters, the title, chapter names and summary and all of that technical stuff. I don't own this website either, but who does? I have also made an account on Storybird called Girlcalledlola, if you wanted to see my stories on that.**

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><p>"Are you okay?" Nessa grabs Jack's hands and stares into his eyes. "I can help you if you're hurt." I jump down the last rung of the ladder, forgetting about my ankle.<p>

"Damn! Nessa, let's just finish packing and go." I bite back a yelp of pain. I just have to get back to North's workshop, then I can rest my foot. I can't believe it's sprained. It feels like a big bruise, nothing more. We finish collecting all necessary items to pack into an overnight bag in triple speed. Three is definitely better than one, especially when that one is Nessa. I place the bag on the windowsill after Jack and Nessa collect the money from Robert. They collect it and wait for me to get out the window. I can't wait to show Cory that I can fly! I burst out into the air and wobble a little. I need to get used to flying. He'll tease me if I look like this. "Can I borrow some clothes Nessa?" I pull at the baggy shirt.

"You wanna impress Cory? Okay sure." Typical Nessa.

"I do not!"

"You sure?" Jack joins in the teasing.

"You too Jack? Let's just go." I go on ahead of the laughing couple. "Hurry up!" After a long time full of teasing and laughing, we finally make it back to North's workshop. We're greeted at the door by an assortment of faces.

"Who's this Jack?" Bunny asks.

"Is she a friend?" From Tooth.

"Welcome back!" From North.

"Where were you?" Cory pipes in. Maybe I can hide him from Nessa. Horrible idea. Terrible. It will never work. Nessa can sniff boys out from miles away.

"We were just getting Nessa. She can stay, right?" I look first to North, then Tooth and Bunny. I make discreet eye contact with Cory. Maybe they won't let her stay. Maybe they will. I have no idea.

"Come in Nessa, I'll get you a cookie." Tooth ushers her inside and begins to compliment Nessa on her assortment of clothes. Best way to win Ness over is to start with the clothes. She always dresses to impress. I really couldn't care less what I wear, as long as I'm not uncomfortable. That's probably why Nessa decided to become my best friend. She saw how lazy I was with my clothes and needed to do some community service anyway. Jack follows Tooth and Nessa, and soon everyone's back to their usual routine. Cory stands in the doorway, spreading his arms to block the doorway.

"Let me through you hobo!" I duck under his arms but he pushes me back outside.

"What's the password. You have to get it right to go through." I laugh and push his arm out of the way, only to be knocked onto the snow. I have no idea what he would make the stupid password. He probably wouldn't let me through even if I did get it right.

"Let me through Cory. Please?" I whinge. He forgets to block the door fora split second and I seize my chance. I run through the gap and burst into the workshop. "It was so cold outside." A pair of hands wrap themselves around my eyes and I turn around, batting the arms away. "Do you like it Ness?" She squeals in delight.

"It's amazing! How come you never brought me here before?" I whack her over the head.

"You retard, I didn't know about it until after I _died_. How could I bring you here without being able to fly?" She just jumps onto my shoulders and I nearly fall over.

"Hi Nessa." Cory waves from behind us and I drop her off me, making sure she landed properly.

"What's your name? Are you Cory?" She runs up to him and I follow behind.

"Nessa," I sigh. "This is Cory."

"Oh my gosh. you said he was hot, but I never knew you were telling the truth!" Nessa, always, always trying to embarrass me in front of everyone. Next she's going to say something about how I always talk about him, then she'll start chatting away, and pretty soon he'll walk away, thinking that I'm a weirdo.

"Nessa! I never said anything like that. Please Cory, don't believe her." She doesn't stop.

"She always talks about you. She didn't happen to mention that your eyes were so blue though. It's always Cory this, Cory that."

"Really?" He sounds genuinely interested, and amused. But Nessa would never stop there. No, she has to make sure that my face is a garnet before she'll think of stopping.

"Are you her boyfriend?"

"No. Sad, isn't it?" Now Cory's playing along.

"Yeah, she's madly in love with you."

"Nessa stop it!" I yell, elbowing her hard. She yelps and shoves me back.

"Where's Jack?" Nessa looks around.

"Right here." He answers from the kitchen. I know how to get Nessa back.

"Jack? Nessa loves you so much, but she's too scared to say it to your face."

"What the hell Spinel? Why'd you say that?" I just shrug innocently.

"Payback." Jack walks in and stands next to Cory.

"Girls." They simultaneously sigh. Nessa and I glare at each other, before bursting into laughter. We are the worst people to ever get angry with, because we can never stay angry with each other. But Pitch, I'm sure he hates me. I'm not too sure about Bunny. I did nearly get lost in the forest chasing down some voice that called my name. Nesea follows Jack into the kitchen and Cory and I are left alone again. It feels really awkward after Nessa, because what she was saying had a tiny shard of the truth in it. Cory's face turns a bright pink, and I'm sure mine is the same. Silence draws out the time we spend staring. I break it by speaking, completely irrelevant to what I had just been thinking.

"I'm borrowing some of Nessa's clothes." I say meekly.


	14. Chapter 14 - Afraid of Cory

**Sorry for the wait guys, I've been really busy with school and stuff so I haven't had much time to write. I'll try to update as soon as possible. This is a brand new chapter, hope you like it and please review.**

**I don't own the movie, the characters or the other things, but I own the plot and all of my characters. I also don't own many of the gems mentioned in this story (I wish I did), although I do have a small spinel gemstone. It's very pretty. I love writing this story and I hope you guys love reading it.**

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><p>What the hell? Why did I just seriously say that? Cory doesn't say anything back. I think I should leave him alone for a while. I start to walk away from him, but he pulls me back.<p>

"You're going to finish the tour." He says firmly. I'm glad for an opportunity not to be near Nessa and Jack for a while. I have her $20 in my hand. "What's that?" Cory asks, pointing to my hand. I open it up and show him and he just nods in reply.

"Would now be a good time to ask what my name is?" The rock pipes from my shoulder.

"Rocky" Cory suggests.

"Nope"

"Stoneback"

"Not helping"

"Shoulder rock?"

"Cory!" His names are awful.

"What? I'm just being creative!" He gives me an innocent shrug.

"Think of something suitable for a rock." I encourage him.

"Cory Junior"

"No way!"

"Spinelette"

"He's a boy!"

"We need Nessa." Cory sighs.

"We so do" I agree. I suddenly remember what I wanted to show him. "Cory look, I can fly!" I hover off the ground for a few seconds before setting my feet back onto the ground. I sumnle and he applauds me, probably for failing my landing.

"Cool. We should probably get Ness now. She might be torturing Jack, and while he is extremely irritating, I don't really think Nessa is the type of person to stop when she's told. I don't want her to get hurt."

"Jack wouldn't hurt her. Nessa's worse than him. Can you fly?" Cory shakes his head.

"No, but I can jump really high."

"Cool! Show me!" My eyes light up and I shake Cory's arm vigorously.

"It'll cost you." He says slyly.

"How much?" I demand. I showed him my flying for free. Surely I dont have to give him my money.

"A kiss"

"What? No!"

"Just one kiss. I could charge more for delivery, but this is the cheapest offer you're getting." I stare at him. What's he trying to do to me?

"Cory"

"It won't mean anything. It's just a way of paying."

"Please give me another option." I beg.

"I will charge more. No options, except for paying or not seeing." I so desperately want to see him jump high. I don't even know why. It just seems cool. "I'll even hold onto you so you can feel what it's like, and that's a free extra. See how nice I am?"

"I'll tickle you to death."

"I'll steal your gems."

I gasp in horror. "No!"

"You wanted to see."

"Fine." I give in and pinch his arm gently. "One kiss."

"Hold on tight."

"Don't you dare drop me!" Cory wraps his arms around me and lifts me off the ground.

"Never" My skin begins to boil and I can practically see my cheeks turning red. "It doesn't mean anything, remember? We're going somewhere where I won't break a hole in the roof." Suddenly we're outside and in the air. It feels so nice, like I'm in an aeroplane, but it's not around me. I can't describe how fast we're travelling upwards because I have no idea. Now I'm screaming as we fall at the speed of light back to the ground. I hold on for my life, nearly strangling Cory as we jump over the forest I had gotten lost in.

"If you dare let go!" I yell over the sound of the wind.

"If I did I'd never get to see your lovely face again."

"Stop it!" I push against him, trying to get away from his teasing. I hope he doesn't mean any of it. I don't want to fall in love with him. I don't want to fall in love with anyone. That's my number one fear. I'll turn crazy and act all weird. I don't want that. I feel like it's already happening. That's what I'm scared of. Losing control. I like gems because they control themselves. They break and fracture when they want to, they chose their appearance and colours, the only thing they can't control is what people do to them. Gemstones get cut to be used in jewellery or to be a collectors item. Crystals don't form for us, they form for themselves. Even though they aren't alive, I can somehow tell that all gems have personality and feelings. I wish I could control myself as much as they did.

"We have reached our destination!" Cory announces loudly. I glance quickly around the area. He places me on a power line and stands next to me. "Pay up." I grab his collar and lightly peck his cheek, hoping that's enough. He sighs and places his warm hands on my cheeks. My heart races and his eyes burn holes in mine. "You're so annoying." His lips press against mine and my heart explodes. My hands pin themselves to my sides and my eyes close. My brain is thinking a thousand thought at once and I realise it's too late. I've already fallen in love, and it's not as scary as I thought it would be. Cory pulls away and grins at me. "You'll have to pay to get home too, or you're stuck here."

"You planned this!" My eyes brim with tears. He's playing with me like I'm a little toy. I'm not, and I'm not ready to give myself to him.

"Maybe, maybe not. The fare for a return trip is just one hug."

"No!" I burst into the air. I thought Cory was different to all the other boys. I guess being a guardian doesn't change you. My tears run down my face and trail behind me as I zoom off in the direction we came from. I hate this feeling. I hate it so much! I can't let him see me cry though. I can't let anyone see me. I blink and in one second I see his red hair beneath me. I just fly through the air faster, leaving behind my friend who betrayed my trust. I can't believe him! I don't know what to do. What can I do? I feel his hand on my foot and I wince in pain. His hand is boiling on my bad ankle. I stop so he doesn't pull me, but I avoid his eyes at all costs.

"What's wrong? Are you mad at me? Spinel I'm so sorry, I didn't realise. Please give me a chance to make it up to you. Please." He holds me close to him and I stay there for a while. I feel him start to fall and I lower myself to the ground. He tightens his grip and I feel fresh tears crystallise on my pink cheeks. The crystals glow with a blue light, but the light disappears when I close my eyes. Of course I will let him make it up to me. Things go away in the blink of an eye, and I'm not losing him, no matter what.


	15. Chapter 15 - Everything's Changed

**Hi guys, I had some time to write today, so there might be a few chapters in a row. My ideas are flowing from my brain and giving me a headache in their eagerness to get to you guys. I watched rise of the guardians an hour ago. I can't wait to see the second one, if they actually make it. Thanks for commenting KormaKeTe. You're probably the only one who knows Nessa personally, and I hope she doesn't get offended by this. Imagine if she acted like her character. I'm sorry about the previous chapter. I just got twitter so now if you guys have any questions or something you can ask me on that. My name is Girlcalledlola1. Very creative, I know, but it's a nice username that I like to have on every single account. Then I wont forget.**

**Anyways, I don't own the movie, in case you guys missed it before. Is it really necessary to say that every chapter? You guys know that I don't own the movie and that I do own my plot right? There, now I don't have to write the same thing over and over again and we can get right into the story. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.**

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><p>The next few days flew by in a blur. Cory and I went back to normal, although he did hold back a bit with the teasing, and Nessa became best friends with Tooth. I think Bunny hates her more than he hates me. She woke him up in the middle of the night, sleepwalking and banging on his door. He opened it to find her collapsed in frong of him. I think everyone else loved having her stay though. Today we have to take her home. I decided to bring Cory with me, only because Nessa threatened to stop believing in me if I didn't.<p>

"Come again soon!" Tooth cries out after Ness says goodbye to everyone.

"You may return anytime you want." North says, clapping her on the back.

"If you ever come back, I'm tying you to the bed." Bunny warns her. She just laughs and dodges his flying boomerang.

"Don't push your luck Ness." I tear her away from Tooth and wave goodbye to everyone, promising to be back soon. Soon we're soaring though the air, Nessa squealing like a child whenever Cory pops up and goes back down again. The third time I smack her light enough to avoid injury but hard enough to shut her up. We arrive at her house to see her dad walking out.

"Robert! Up here! Hi!" Nessa waves and she nearly slips out of our fingers. Jack catches her just above the ground.

"I must be dreaming." Her dad mutters, walking back inside while shaking his head slightly. "I could've sworn I saw Lauren and Nessa flying." Jack and I whisk Nessa up to her bedroom window.

"Your dad saw you Ness. He saw Spinel too." Jack tells her. I'm sure Robert had a fright when he saw his daughter flying through the air.

"Oh yeah, your name used to be Lauren." Cory says quietly.

"Yeah, it sorta seems weird now." I whisper back.

"It's a really nice name." He whispers into my ear, his breath sending a shiver down my back. He agreed that we should sort out what is going on between us before doing anything about it. This is him holding back from the joking and teasing. I don't think I really like it that much. It's different, and I don't think Cory likes it either, but we have to keep this act up for a few more days. I miss the old Cory. I wish I had just said no to seeing him jump. Then I wouldn't be as confused and messed up as I am now. I have to stay stable, for everyone's sake.

"Would it be weird if I just popped over to my place and checked on mum and Riley?" I ask them. Nessa doesn't hear me. She's too busy explaining to Jack how to use an iPhone. Cory comes with me, and we're awkwardly silent for the whole duration of the trip. I don't know what to say to him. Finally we arrive at my house, a tiny little shack compared to Nessa's. My car is black and blue from all the times my mum had driven into the pillars in the car parks. It has a long scratch on the door, revealing the metallic silver metal underneath the bright red paint. My actual house is painted a creamy white on the walls. There are sandstone steps leading up to the door, which is only barely hanging off its hinges. The windows have cracks running up the sides and my curtains are barely visible through the fog.

"Here we are." I say quietly. I only just realised how absolutely disgusting my house really is, but at least it still has a roof. Cory walks up to the front door and knocks.

"I want to meet your mum." He explains, standing back as the sound of running feet gets closer. A figure appears in the doorway.

"Riley!" I rush over to him and try to hug him, my stomach sinking as I fall through the air and land on my face, my rock falling off my shoulder and sitting in front of me. "Ow!" I rub my head gingerly and Cory touches a hand to my forehead.

"She has a slight bump, I can hear it already." The rock says from my shoulder. How can you hear a bump? I wonder to myself. I guess that isn't the strangest thing my rock can do. Cory lifts me to my feet and I follow him inside. The door slams shut behind Riley as he storms in.

"It was just a kid, playing games on our family perhaps!" He yells down the hall, walking through me as if I were a ghost. My mum appears in the doorway and half runs to open the door again and scream at the neighbours, telling them to keep their kids under control. I can't believe how much everyone has changed. Riley would never yell, and my mum would never bother arguing with our neighbours. Now they have a dog, unless it's just a stray. My mum always said that I was never allowed a dog because of hygiene, but I guess she changed her mind. He's a tiny little pup bounding down the hall and stopping to lick my face. I'm scared of big dogs, but this one is adorable. I pick him up and cuddle him, hearing a scream from my mother. She must've seen a floating dog. Riley puts a hand on her shoulder and steers her into the kitchen. Cory grabs the dog from my arms and gets a slobbery face for it. I just laugh and walk into the kitchen, knowing exactly where to look for paper towels. I offer one to Cory and he wipes his face down.

"Don't let dogs get close enough to lick." I tell him. He just pouts and follows me. I lead him into my bedroom and immediately start sorting though my clothes. A pair of light ripped jeans, a stripy t-shirt, a pair of converse shoes. I pack a few outfits into a small bag and sling it over my shoulder. Just before we leave, I write a small message on my door saying '_You should believe in me'_. I grab Cory and run to the door, grabbing my other bag of gems that sit on the hall table. I accidentally knock the car keys to the floor and the dog comes bounding up to me. "Shh!" The dog barks loudly and I jump. I need to get out of this house before it begins to haunt me. I don't live here anymore, I live with North and Tooth and Sandy, Bunny, Jack and Cory. Cory opens the door and I trip once again. My rock waits at the bottom of the stairs.

"You took your time." He says flatly.

"Sorry." Cory and I chorus. I close the door before the dog can get out. I'm not sure why it's attitude suddenly changed. Maybe he thought I was a ghost. I shrug off the unappealing thought and launch myself into the air.


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